Strike Up The Band: LW Marching Band Wins 4th State Championship

NEW LENOX, IL — The Lincoln-Way March Band is tops in the state, again. The band took home the Class 6A championship Saturday in Normal, its fourth state title since 2016, according to Illinois Marching Online. The band also was named the Grand Champion for the third time, narrowly beating out high school band powerhouses Marion Catholic High School in Chicago Heights and Morton High School in Morton.

The LW Marching Band was merged into one band from each of Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210's three schools in 2016. The only years the LW Marching Band did not take home the top spot in its field was in 2019 when it finished second in Class 6A but was named Grand Champion overall, and last year when the pandemic caused the championship to be cancelled, according to Illinois Marching Online. It also was named Grand Champion in 2018.

Bert Johnson — one of the four band directors, along with Chris Mroczek, Cary Ruklic and Justin Barnish — credited the students and the other band directors with the success the marching band has had over the past six years. Johnson said the marching band's string of strong showings is directly related to the consistency he and the other band directors have in place.

"The product gets a lot better because of the process and the people," Johnson said.

Johnson also expressed gratitude for being able to compete this year after the pandemic threw everything into chaos last year, as well as gratitude for the marching band's continued success despite it all.

"It's great to win stuff. It's just more of a feeling of absolute gratitude to have the opportunity to do it, and on that particular night to be No. 1 is a great feeling," Johnson said. "I don't think there's a whole lot of cut-throat, competitive nature in us like there used to be. It's more grateful just to be really good at something and have a chance to go out there against other really good groups and be relevant. That's where we are now: It's not blood in the water, it's just grateful to be in the pool."

And, of course, there is the "army" of Lincoln-Way Marching Band supporters to thank for all their dedication, several of whom contributed photos for this article.

"[We're] grateful for the staff, the students and the parents," Johnson said. "That's the part of it (the support from the staff and parents) that maybe we don't talk as much about as with the kids."

The LW Marching Band had been dominant all year, winning three other major championships en route to the state title. It was the grand champion at the A.A. Stagg Jamboree and the Victor J. Andrew High School Marching Invitational, and placed first in Class 4A field and second overall in the Bands of America Regional Championship, held in Clarksville, Tennessee, according to Illinois Marching Online.

Up next for the LW Marching Band is an overdue performance at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Nov. 25 in New York City. The band was scheduled to be at the parade in 2020, but the pandemic pushed their appearance until this year. The band has also preformed at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California in 2019.

Check out the video below from Saturday's championship.

Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 has three high schools: Lincoln-Way Central and Lincoln-Way West in New Lenox, and Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort. The district has students from New Lenox, Frankfort, Mokena, Manhattan and Tinley Park.

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